Blurring the Line
by Warmongerfemme
Summary: /AU/ Team Plasma has not been defeated, Ghetsis continues to manipulate N, and Unova is now ruled by the young figurehead King. Humans are forbidden from interacting with Pokémon, and most are too fearful of them to do so anyway. However, the Coexistence Rebellion has never forgotten what it was like before Plasma's rule. /future NxOC pairing, some minor violence, etc./
1. Chapter 1

People and Pokémon carried boxes upon boxes of supplies, filing though the dark tunnels of a barely known underground. Fire and electric types were spread amongst them, lighting the way for the large group. All of the Pokémon moved freely, some gathered in groups of type, others collected around their trainers. There were few pokéballs to be seen, most stored in the boxes beside potions and berries. Many people within the group were older than the average trainer, with any number of highly leveled Pokémon. Some had family with them, but there were few children. The life they lived was not a comfortable one and so most families stayed above ground in the cities, only the sympathetic aware of the group's existence.

At the front of the group a team of fire types moved along side their trainer, an equally fiery young woman whose outfit echoed the colors of her team. She knew her way through these tunnels; they had been her idea when the need for secrecy first arrived. Base management was her job within the group, and she took it seriously. If they were caught, it would be because of a fault on her part, and it would mean the destruction of the main branch of the coexistence rebellion.

One of the biggest voices and powers within the rebellion, had once been the Unova Pokémon League Champion—Adler. "Come on everybody, keep it moving, we need to be at the new base by sunrise!" He called, his Bouffalant and Druddigon waiting patiently for him to finish loading them with supplies to be carried. He and Drayden were the leaders of the group, the only ones who'd gone underground to run the rebellion. Both men believed strongly in the rebellion's ideas and if they could, it was well known that both would take on the King themselves. Adler shouldered a particularly heavy burden, believing it was his fault that Team Plasma had managed to gain control of the legendary dragon. His loss to the King weighed on him constantly, and he was not nearly as vibrant of a man as he once was. His Pokémon knew well how he had changed and most of them refused to leave his side unless he ordered, his Volcorona especially.

Secondary members, those who had been with the group the longest were spread among the group, taking care of their individual assignments and keeping watch of the people and Pokémon nearest to them. That was where Elise came in.

She had only been seventeen when the rebellion was formed, started by a group of devoted trainers who cared deeply for their Pokémon. Team Plasma had been spreading seeds of doubt and stealing Pokémon from caring trainers for almost a year prior, building up to their ultimate plan, and no one had seen it coming. Once their king had taken possession of one of the legendary dragons, Plasma moved quickly, wiping out all existence of peaceful coexistence between humans and Pokémon. Most of Unova's citizens now feared the creatures that had once been so woven into their lives. Constant propaganda, demonstrations, and patrols insured that no one other than Plasma used or interacted with any Pokémon.

At first, the trainers that would become the rebellion had no choice other than to run. While they were all strong, they were far outnumbered and would only have been able to last so long against Team Plasma, especially by themselves. Adler had come up with the idea for an organized rebellion, carefully communicating it with the members of the Elite Four and Unova's gym leaders, knowing that Plasma had established a presence almost everywhere. He needed help, knew that he was not a quiet enough person to find and rally the few trainers that had managed to hold onto their Pokémon without being found out. When Drayden came across Adler's plans, he joined quickly, eager to take the young, foolish King from his position of power. While not as boisterous as his counterpart, Drayden played a role equal to Adler within the rebellion. He was responsible for supplies and their above ground connections, as well as managing the ranks within the group. The contact lines he set up worked well and the group grew to a good number rapidly. However, the rebellion had nowhere to convene. Pokémon had to be kept hidden from Plasma's sight, and a gathering of trainers would be too easy and obvious a target. A request for ideas was sent out through the contacts in hopes that any member would know of some place. Elise had answered, suggesting that perhaps something used in another region would work—a system of subterranean tunnels where secret bases are drilled into the walls. She had used it during her time in Sinnoh just over a year before and still had the equipment; they just had to hope it would work in Unova.

When it did, the group slowly disappeared below ground in small groups, careful not to raise suspicion. From then on, the group steadily grew, breaking into branches, some staying above ground and running information nets there, others taking to building secret bases in cliff sides and forests. More than just trainers began to join and the rebellion slowly became more of an off grid community, complete with nurses, people specializing in berries and herbs, tinkerers to work on old pokéballs and other machinery, and more.

"This is it," said Elise, she and her Pokémon stopping to wait just outside their latest base, her fire types' flames serving as a beacon for the rest of the group to locate their new home. The first people to enter the base were trainers with electric types and the tinkerers of the group, quickly setting to work on creating a simple electrical system. At most times, the bases were lit by candles and fires, to put less strain on the Pokémon and to make the bases even harder to find, but sometimes electricity became a necessity.

Behind them came gardeners and nurses, moving in to set up their respective stations, and finally the rest of the rebellion arrived, with Drayden and Adler bringing up the tail end. Moving bases was a monthly thing for the group, but each time, Adler seemed just as enthralled, his eyes lighting up as he took in their newest home.

"This one's large, no wonder you and Shawna were gone so long," Drayden said to Elise as she joined them.

"I know, " She nodded, resting her hand on one of her Houndoom horns as it leaned against her leg, "I thought we needed more room, so many of us have rather large Pokémon and space was cramped in our last base, it made them tense. We had more scrabbles there than we've had anywhere else—other than our first base, of course."

The older man looked down at her as she watched the rest of the group set up, her eyes following Adler about the large room. "And Shawna didn't mind helping excavate this much? She isn't usually keen on helping in the first place."

Elise laughed lightly, taking her eyes off of Adler to smile up at Drayden, "Oh, she minded, that's why it took so long. We would have been done in 3 days if she wouldn't have made us take so many breaks." Shaking her head, the red haired girl kneeled down to pet her Houndoom, "She cares a lot for her Pokémon, they're her only family now, and she doesn't want them hurt. That's why she hates making them work like that, but they're some of our best steel types, it's almost unavoidable."

"Our new base is best yet!" Adler boomed, clapping a hand on Elise's shoulder, startling her a bit, "You'll have a hard time outdoing yourself with the next base."

"I believe you say that every time, Alder," Elise hummed, standing again, a small smile on her face as she kept herself from chuckling.

Before Adler could argue that he had never said that—because he couldn't remember that he did—Drayden interrupted, "Elise, you must be tired, please, you and your Pokémon go get some rest. You've been working since dusk, don't let this fool keep you up."

Giving her Houndoom a pat to get moving, the girl nodded, "Thank you, Drayden, sleep well once you get there."

As she walked away, Drayden pulled Adler aside, "We need to talk; I've got news from above ground." With that, the white haired man walked back into the darkness of the tunnels, and away from the small rejoicing occurring inside their base. The Champion's face quickly fell into a frown, most news was shared with the entire group at one time, when it wasn't, that rarely meant well. With a sigh, and one look around at the smiling members of the rebellion, of _his_ rebellion, he stepped out after his partner.

By the light of his Volcorona, he found Drayden quicker than he would have liked. The man's face was sterner than usual, and if he looked close enough, Adler thought that he could see a hint of fear in his yellow eyes. Voice soft, wary, he asked, "What is it, Drayden? What's happened?"

Checking that no one had followed them, Drayden began, "Team Plasma may have finally found us," Adler's heart dropped. Sure, he knew it was only a matter of time—just as Drayden was currently saying, but he hoped that for once, Drayden's information was wrong. The rebellion was flourishing, the people were happier than they'd been in a long time, the group was finally garnering enough of a presence to have a chance at taken the fight to Plasma. "Grunts and higher ups alike have been seen talking to miners and other underground workers, asking about the Sinnoh system. Granted, there are others who use it here, there has been since Sinnoh trainers first came over with the technology, but I doubt Plasma has any interest in gems for trading or any of the other little trinkets we find down here. They're coming for us."


	2. Chapter 2

Drayden's revelations shook Adler and for the next few days he slept little and spoke less, spending his time trying to come up with some kind of solution. He didn't want to incite panic but moving the entire group within a week's time of setting up the base was sure to do so. They couldn't fight here, most of their Pokémon were too large to properly navigate the tunnels, let alone battle in them. He couldn't let Plasma get to them, these people depended on him and he couldn't let them down.

All members of the rebellion had noticed the change in their leader, but most knew better than to question it. Adler had never withheld information from them before, so if he was now, it was for a good reason. However, this belief did little to relieve the growing tension that even the Pokémon were picking up on. The usual celebrations– little things like extra food and some singing– that came with a new base were nowhere to be found. Members avoided each other and went about their business as efficiently as possible.

In the tunnels, Elise was playing her role of scout. When there was no need for a new base, she was most often the leader of patrols because of her familiarity with the underground. It was often a lonely job, but on days like this, she appreciated it. Walking through the dark silence of the underground with only a couple Pokémon at her side gave her time to think.

The light of her Charizard's tail cast the tunnels in a warm glow that comforted her with its familiarity. He had been her very first Pokémon, given to her by the Professor of her home town; Pallet Town. When they had first met, she had been a wild child of only twelve years that believed she was ready to take on the world and he was an unusually small and rather mean Charmander. She'd picked him because her father's first partner had been a Charmander as well and he and his Charizard spent their days maintaining the forests of surrounding their home. He was her idol, a kind man who loved to smile and cared for his Pokémon and the world around him as much as he did his family.

Within the first weeks of her journey, she found herself burned, bruised, covered in scratches, and with no supplies to speak of. Tired and upset, she dropped herself against a tree and cried, swearing herself off Pokémon and traveling for the rest of her life. Pointing a somewhat stubby finger at the Charmander wandering about in the grass, she shouted, "I hate you! All I wanted was a friend! I wanted my first Pokémon to be like Dad's and I get stuck with you!"

Their beginnings were rough, and when night had fallen, and she was scared and cold, he'd given in and lay by her. His warmth and light just enough to let her rest comfortably. From then on, they spent many days in an awkward silence, walking side by side as they found their way to the nearest town.

Now, the pair was inseparable. He had inspired her passion for fire types, something that had persisted over many journeys and even more years. She was a 19 year old woman now, devoted to taking care of her Pokémon and fighting a war against a force threatening to separate them. The idea weighed on her, kept her up at night until she fell asleep clinging to any one of them for comfort.

Lowly, her Arcanine whined and butted his wide head against her back, pulling her from her thoughts. She stopped and turned to him, smiling softly and reaching out to scratch behind his ear, "Thank you, Arcanine. I'm fine, don't you worry, just a little stressed out is all. I'm sure you all are feeling it too." Her Charizard's grunt answered her just as if he'd spoken and she reached out for him too, her smile falling. "Adler's not himself. Something is going on and we all know it. I just wish he would tell us. Drayden keeps secrets well and I can't tell if he knows what it is either. I'm thinking about gathering the secondaries and demanding an answer. Whatever's going on needs to be addressed, the group isn't doing well with everything how it is."

With a sigh, she leaned against the wall and matched her breathing to the slow, deep breaths her Arcanine took. Opening her eyes, she met those of her Pokémon, searching them for an answer, "Do you think that's a good idea? I can't think of anything else and something needs to be done." After a moment, she found what she was looking for and climbed onto the canine's back, "Alright, lead the way, I'm sure you two noticed that I stopped paying attention to where I was going quite a while back."

―

"Sir, more information on the Rebellion," said a light haired young man with an Unfeseant at his side. Tied to its leg was a canister, carrying a roll of papers. He spoke quietly, nervous in the presence of his leader. The green haired man standing on the balcony turned to him, light glinting off the red lens covering his right eye as he gestured. Suddenly, trio of white haired men appeared around the young man, startling a small cry from him and a similar noise from his Pokémon. One of the men held out his hand, waiting for the papers. As quick as he could, the grunt retrieved them and handed them over, flinching when the men disappeared from his side and reappeared at the balcony, handing over the papers to their leader. He skimmed the reports, an unpleasant smile spreading across his features as he reached the end. Handing the papers back to the trio and turning back to the balcony he ordered, "Send note that we will flush them out before the week is over."

―

All of the secondary members of the Coexistence Rebellion stood with their leaders in the tunnels not far from their base. "Adler, Drayden, sirs, we deserve to know!" A young man, somewhere in his early twenties spoke, throwing his arm out to gesture to the group with him, "If there is something going on, it is all of our responsibilities to take care of this group. Please, let us help." His hair was a light shade of blue and was cropped close to his head and he wore an orange and black outfit, the usual attire for an Ace Trainer. He was in charge of defensive teams if the rebellion moved above ground, and he was extremely detail oriented; needing to know everything down to the smallest movement so that he could plan accordingly. His name was Miccah, and he was usually polite, and even when stressed like he was now, he tried hard to show his elders the proper respect, "We understand that you both would only keep things from us because that's what you feel is best, but right now, we don't agree."

"Miccah is right," an older woman spoke up. Her dark hair was lightened with age, but she was clearly healthy and strong, and her team of well-trained steel types attested to that. "The entire rebellion knows something is going on. If you wanted to keep it from us, Adler especially is doing a horrible job. You're not running your mouth as much as usual." Being of almost equal age with the leaders of the group, Shawna, the team's excavator, rarely felt the need to not speak her mind.

Adler and Drayden shared a look, knowing that they were indeed over-ruled as Miccah had said and denying anything would only upset the group more they were left with few choices. Giving Adler a nod, Drayden spoke, "We have reason to believe Team Plasma has located us."

A collective murmur of surprise ran through the group and before any of the members could speak, Adler continued where Drayden had left off, "We have been trying to decide on the best course of action for the last couple of days. We do not want to do an evacuation for fear that that is just what Team Plasma expects, but that leaves us with very few options. Drayden believes we should break up the main branch and disperse ourselves throughout the smaller branches we have above ground. If not anything else, it will buy us time to come up with a better idea."

"And just what do we do with our Pokémon while we're above ground?" Elise questioned, her hand resting on her Hounddoom's head, "We can't take them with us, in or out of pokéballs, but you can't expect us to leave them here and let Plasma take them."

Her comments raised objections from most of the other secondaries and it took more than a couple minutes for Adler and Drayden to calm them down. When everyone was quieted, Drayden continued, "Smuggling them out in pokéballs seems to be the best option. So long as we do not cross any city borders, we shouldn't have to worry about check point searches. We have enough allies and branches above ground to house all of our members." The unrest was obvious, but Drayden seemed confident and he had never led the group astray before.

Looking at the members of his rebellion, Adler was worried. Just a day before, he could see them having a chance at over-throwing Plasma, but now the group was so shaken that he feared that Plasma never needed to make a move to tear them apart. "We will not be telling anyone outside this group the reasons for our evacuation, the members of the rebellion are stressed enough," he declared, "and so long as everything goes as planned, we evacuate the underground before the week is over."


End file.
